Comedian shares laughs, serious message with SJ community

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Tammie Moore
  • 4th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. --  At some point in everyone's life they make a bad decision, some people are able to find their way back onto the straight and narrow path and others continue down the path of destruction.

Bernie McGrenahan began abusing alcohol in eighth grade. A lifestyle of heavy drinking and partying cost him a baseball scholarship. But, he did not let that slow him down, neither did the two DUIs he had under his belt before he even turned 20 nor his younger brother's alcohol- and drug-related suicide.

His third DUI earned him a six-month stay in a Los Angles County Jail at 26. While in jail, Mr. McGrenahan made a promise to his mother to turn his life around and, unlike many jailhouse promises, he actually kept his word. He got sober and became a professional comedian.

"I kept my promise to my mother," he said. "I've paid every debt I owed to society."

In 1997 he made the decision to share his life story with others through comedy in an alcohol, drug and sexual assault program he dubbed "Happy Hour." In 2007 Mr. McGrenahan came to realize military members could benefit from his message as well and began traveling to military installations to speak about sexual assault, alcohol and drug abuse.

"I realized that my program would fit a need for training and prevention, but also offer a good laugh," he said. "The first 30 minutes is nothing but standup comedy because I want Airmen to laugh and have a good time. You guys work hard, why not have a comedian come out? But the second 30 minutes is about my personal experiences with alcohol, excessive drinking, partying, how I conducted myself and the risk I took under the influences of alcohol. The second half an hour is a serious personal story."

He speaks to servicemembers at 50-75 military installations each year.

"Alcohol creates trouble for many of us in sexual and social situations that can lead to sexually inappropriate incidents and assaults," he said. "My goal is to inspire Airmen to respect women and treat them as they would their sister. If you are drinking and socializing with the opposite sex, exchange phone numbers and meet under sober circumstances instead of risking sexual interaction that night while drunk."

The staff at the Seymour Johnson AFB Sexual Assault Prevention and Response office heard about his show and extended Mr. McGrenahan an invitation to speak to the base population.

"This was a highly recommended program and we were pleased to be able to bring Mr. McGrenahan to Seymour Johnson," said Bernie Roy, SAPR assistant. "His show is presented as a stand-up comedy but he ties the dangers and risks of alcohol, drug abuse and sexual assault to his act. He inspires Airmen to make smart, safe decisions."

Mr. Grenahan makes a point to provide his message in a manner much different than the standard "death-by-PowerPoint" approach. This method seems to work, since many Airmen seek him out after his shows, something he said is the most rewarding part of his job.

"(It is rewarding) when an Airman comes up to me and reveals not only how touched he was by my story but they want to make a change in their life because of something they heard that touched them," he said.

After the end of each show, people filtering out of the crowded hangar could be overheard analyzing the performance and messages.

"Everyone we spoke to loved his show," Mrs. Roy said. "I checked out his Web site Friday evening and the comments from SJ personnel were awesome!"

The messages on the Web site included comments like:
· From Kia, "Thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to come (make) us laugh (and) inspire us at the same time!"
· From Chris, "Thanks for the great show/message today Bernie. It takes a real man to open up the way you did about your personal experiences. We have to attend a lot of these mandatory events but I will tell you that your show is special."
· From Josh, "Thank you for the 'mandatory' hour of fun at 0730! Your story was very moving and I personally related to it. Thank you again for doing your part to make a difference in the world through your comedy and message!"

Before leaving the base, Mr. Grenahan wanted to send his thanks out to the Airmen and civilians of the Seymour Johnson community, the SAPR office and victim advocates for their service and share a final thought.

"Use the resources available (to you), speak to victim advocates if you have been violated," he said. "If you do not, you will remain as sick as your secrets."

To read more about Mr. McGrenahan and his "Happy Hour" show, visit www.comedyisthecure.com.